学进去

The Pleasures of the Table

APRIL 9, 2020 was the darkest day in the recent recorded history of the restaurant industry. The 1． of lockdowns, combined with people voluntarily avoiding others, meant that on that Thursday bookings in America, Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Mexico made via OpenTable, a restaurant-reservation website, whose reservations 2． numbered in the millions plunged to zero.

Being 3． of the dining experience has made people realize how much they value it. Eating out fulfils needs which seem 4． to human nature. People need to go on dates, to seal deals, and to simply have the ability to peer at their fellow humans. At a good restaurant, you can travel without the need to be actually travelling or simply feel rich for a night.

Yet restaurants in their current form are a few hundred years old at most. They do not satisfy some primeval (原始的) urge, but rather those of particular sorts of societies. Economic and social forces have created both the 5． of and demand for restaurants.

People have long 6． outside the home. Archaeologists have counted 158 snack bars in Pompeii, the ancient Roman city destroyed by a volcano in 79 AD—one for every 60 to 100 people, a higher rate than that found in many global cities today. Ready-cooked meals 7． meat and fish were available for Londoners to purchase from at least the 1170s. Samuel Cole, an early settler, opened what is considered to be the first American tavern (酒馆) in1634, in Boston.

These were more like takeaways, though, or stands where food might be thrown in with a drink, than eat-in restaurants. The table d’hôte, which appeared in France around Cole’s time, most 8． resembled the modern restaurant we know and love today. Diners sat at a single table and ate what they were given. Many ofthese early restaurants existed only for the 9． of locals. Strangers were not always welcome.

What does the history of the restaurant say about its future? In recent weeks, global restaurant reservations have risen back up close to their pre-pandemic levels. The long-term future of the restaurant is less clear. The pandemic has led to many people 10． much more takeout food than before, while others rejoice in their newfound love of cooking. Restaurants have little choice but to continue to adapt.